Jonathan Joseph hat trick seals emphatic victory for England in Rome

By Guest Author, Paddy Boyland (Paddy_Boyland)

Italy 9 England 40

After an exhilarating opening weekend, round two of the Six Nations very much went with the form book. On Saturday, France beat a forlorn Ireland in Paris and then Wales edged out Scotland at the Principality Stadium, while Sunday’s Valentine’s Day clash between hosts Italy and reinvigorated visitors England saw a ruthlessly efficient away side make it two wins from two in Rome.

Italy may have had a greater percentage of the possession and territory, yet the away side responded well when tested and always looked like pulling away in the closing stages.

The two sides traded penalties in a scrappy opening 20 minutes, with ill discipline from serial offenders Dan Cole and James Haskell, together with a malfunctioning lineout (4/13 lost) contributing factors in a disappointing England performance early doors. It remains to be seen if the aforementioned duo will keep their places in the coming weeks given the options at Eddie Jones’ disposal, but the Australian coach will want to see considerable improvement from the pair in that aspect of their play.

As against Scotland, the penalty count was far too high for a side with aspirations of becoming one of the best in the world. Currently, Jones’ men top the table for penalties conceded in this year’s championship, and will have to resolve this flaw in their game if they’re to lift the trophy come the final weekend. Put bluntly, Cole and Haskell will have to show they’re able to curb their reckless tendencies if they’re to fight off challenges from Kieran Brookes and Matt Kvesic and remain in the starting 15. 

Despite their sluggish start, it was England who scored the opening try of the game with the first real moment of quality. A well-judged George Ford up and under was expertly tracked by Joseph and Brown. The two hounded Italy full-back Sarto and eventually forced a turnover, from which England scored the game’s first try. Billy Vunipola and Farrell combined on the left, with the latter putting Ford in for an easy score in the corner. Advantage England, and just  rewards for a real desire to chase what was an expert kick from the fly half.

However, a missed Farrell conversion and a further moment of Red Rose indiscipline meant the game remained in the balance at 9-11. Italy came out firing at the start of the second half- the Azzurri had close to 70% possession and territory in second period- but England defended resolutely and Joseph’s intercept try on 52 put paid to any Italian hopes of a famous win. It was a huge turning point in a game that, at that point, looked like it could well have gone either way up, yet as was the case at Murrayfield, England’s grit, extra quality and superior nous shone through when it mattered.

Eddie Jones sensed a change in momentum with Italy starting to tire, and a raft of high quality substitutions underlined England’s strength in depth. On came Launchbury, George, Itoje, Marler and replacement scrum half Danny Care, further swinging the tide in the away team’s favour. Care’s early introduction, in particular, was an indication of how Jones will rotate his two 9’s until one proves himself to be undisputable number one in the position. As it stands, neither has massively impressed from the start, with the substitute then invariably looking better in the last twenty as space opens up. One must eventually seize his chance, or we may well see the two effectively share the role until such time as a standout candidate emerges.

This scenario was again apparent on Sunday- with the new forwards adding fresh impetus off the bench and providing a platform from which England could pull clear, Care was then afforded the type of space that Youngs wasn’t, and was thus better able to meaningfully affect the play. It was the Harlequins man’s delightful grubber pass that released Joseph for his second try of the game after a decent attacking scrum in Italy’s 22.

With the Italians tiring and England’s substitutes making their mark, Joseph’s hat-trick came with 10 mins left on the clock. Launchbury battered his way over the gainline, England swept left and Joseph muscled his way over despite the attempts of three Italian defenders. A welcome return to form for the Bath flyer, who had previously failed to reach the heights set in last year’s breakthrough Six Nations campaign.

By this point, the game was over as an encounter and the away side’s final try- a sweeping move that culminated in Jamie George’s superb offload to the grateful Owen Farrell- provided the proverbial icing on the cake. In many ways, it was the best of the lot, and another promising hint of things to come if England do indeed start to click more regularly.

So far so good for Eddie Jones and his men, then, who now have a two-week break before they face injury-hit Ireland at Twickenham. England must beware a fightback from a wounded Ireland side, yet focus will no doubt also turn to the penultimate weeks of the championship.

Of course, there’s room for improvement aplenty, especially at the lineout, where Courtney Lawes faltered on his first start of the championship. At the moment, the Northampton lock seems a shadow of his former self; the former bulldog used to crunch into tackles but now looks more of a meek puppy bounding about and bouncing off things, in truth. On current form he surely finds himself behind the abrasive George Kruis- who was again excellent- and Joe Launchbury in the second row pecking order.

Elsewhere, Paul Gustard’s role in England’s high intensity defensive work is starting to pay dividends, with a paltry 18 points conceded in two matches evidence of his exceptional work. There was also further improvement at the breakdown, where in the absence of a genuine fetcher, the likes of Joseph, Brown and Nowell chipped in to swarm around the player in possession at every available opportunity.

It’s still early days in a championship that is always prone to swinging to and fro but initial indications suggest that it will be a three-way tussle between England, France and Wales. The Red Rose have still to play their two greatest rivals for this year’s trophy, with a home game against Wales in week four followed by a final day trip to Paris. These are the fixtures that could well decide the destination of the famous old competition. To this victor, the spoils, as they say.